Great Kremlin Palace (Большой Кремлевский дворец) (Moscow)

Great Kremlin Palace (Большой Кремлевский дворец) (Moscow)

Location: Moscow Kremlin

Closed to public

 

Description of the Great Kremlin Palace

The Grand Kremlin Palace is the former residence of the All-Russian emperors in the Moscow Kremlin.

It was built in 1838-1849 by a group of architects under the leadership of K. A. Ton by order of Emperor Nicholas I. N. I. Chichagov, F. F. Richter, P. A. Gerasimov, V. A. Bakarev, N. A. Shokhin and others. The architectural ensemble includes the Terem Palace, the Chamber of Facets and the Armory, the Apartments of the Grand Dukes, palace churches and other buildings - in total, the palace has more than seven hundred rooms of different times of the XIV-XX centuries. In 1918 the palace became the seat of the Soviet government, and in 1934 it was partially rebuilt. In 1994-1999, the halls were reconstructed, returning them to their original appearance. The Grand Kremlin Palace houses the residences of the President of Russia and the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'. Guided tours are available in the building by appointment.

 

History

Early palace buildings

12th-15th century

According to S.P. Bartenev, the history of palace buildings in the Moscow Kremlin is as follows.

In the middle of the 12th century, between the Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist and the site of the current Borovitsky Gate, there were small wooden mansions that served as temporary residences for the princes. In the 13th century, when Moscow became the center of a separate principality, the grand duke's court was moved to the east, where the Church of the Savior on Bor was built. In the XIV century, Grand Duke Ivan Kalita (1328-1341) expanded his courtyard and built a stone cathedral on the site of the wooden Church of the Savior, to which he transferred the monastery from the village of Danilov.

Under Dmitry Donskoy (1363-1389) and his son Vasily Dmitrievich (1389-1425), the Grand Duke's palace was already richly decorated. The roof of the embankment tower was gilded, and a clock was placed in the yard.

"In the summer of 6912 [1404], the Grand Duke conceived a watch-house and put it in his courtyard behind the church behind the Holy Annunciation. This watch-maker will be called the hour-watch; at every hour he strikes the bell with a hammer, measuring and calculating the hours of the night and day; no more man striking, but human-like, self-resonating and self-moving, strangely stylized somehow created by human cunning, exaggerated and outwitted. The master artist is a certain black man, who came from the Holy Mountain, a Serb by birth, named Lazar; the price of this beyash is more than half a hundred rubles "

The prince built a stone Cathedral of the Annunciation “in the hallway”, and a stone and “wonderful” Church of the Nativity of the Virgin was built on the princess’s half. The location of these grand ducal house churches outlines the dimensions of the palace of that time.

 

The period of the Muscovite state

The Grand Duke's Palace of Ivan III, erected at the end of the 15th - beginning of the 16th century by Italian architects, included the Faceted, Middle Golden, Embankment, Dining Chamber and other buildings. At the beginning of the 17th century, under Boris Godunov, the Spare Palace was erected, under Mikhail Fedorovich, the Terem and the Heraldic Gates were built. In the second half of the same century, the palace of Tsarina Natalya Kirillovna, the chambers of other queens and princesses were built, and the Embankment Garden was arranged on the roof of the Reserve Palace.

Early 18th century
After the transfer of the capital from Moscow to St. Petersburg in 1712, the Kremlin buildings lost their significance. Part of the premises was occupied by the Moscow offices of government departments, the remaining buildings gradually dilapidated and burned repeatedly. During the reign of Anna Ioannovna, the imperial court often stayed in Moscow and the palace complex was used to accommodate the retinue. During this period, a wooden warm palace, the Winter Annenhof, was erected next to the Zeughaus, according to the project of Bartolomeo Rastrelli. When a new wooden Summer Annenhof was built in Lefortovo in 1730, the warm palace was moved there.

 

Winter Palace Rastrelli

During the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna, it was decided to build a New Palace on the territory of the Kremlin, also known as the Winter Palace, to accommodate the imperial court during visits to Moscow. The Empress retained most of the Kremlin ensemble during the construction of a new complex, however, the Middle Golden and Embankment Chambers were demolished. On their basement, under the leadership of Bartolomeo Rastrelli, a new baroque stone ensemble was erected. In the future, the complex was repeatedly rebuilt, but its general condition remained unsatisfactory.

 

Bazhenov Grand Kremlin Palace

During the reign of Catherine II, the palace in the Kremlin was recognized as not corresponding to the greatness of the empire, although the general ensemble of the fortress was perceived as a historical monument. In 1759, a decree was issued on the preservation of the Kremlin walls and towers. Nevertheless, nine years later, V.I. Bazhenov proposed a project for a new palace, which included the demolition of some buildings of the 15th-17th centuries without taking into account their historical significance. The rest of the buildings were supposed to be combined into a single complex with the buildings of the new palace. In particular, the development would include the Ivan the Great Bell Tower and separate buildings of the Cathedral Square. According to Bazhenov's project, the ensemble was supposed to occupy the entire riverine territory and descend to the banks of the Moskva River. Under his leadership, the dilapidated Zhitny and Money Yards, the Spare Palace of Boris Godunov with the Upper Embankment Garden, all the monastery courtyards, with the exception of the Trinity, the Orders building, as well as the gallery of the Armory, erected according to the project of D. V. Ukhtomsky in 1764, were demolished.

On June 1, 1773, the solemn laying of the new palace took place. However, soon after the start of construction work, the southern wall of the Archangel Cathedral was covered with cracks, the foundation of the temple began to sag. And large-scale construction was recognized as inexpedient, suspending work by 1775. The walls and towers began to be restored a year later under the guidance of the architect M.F. Kazakov, and the Archangel Cathedral was reinforced with buttresses.

Around 1800, according to the project of N.A. Lvov, the interiors and facades of the Kremlin Winter Palace were updated. The building burned down during the occupation of Moscow by the French in 1812 and was restored in the forms of classicism by 1817 by A. N. Bakarev and I. T. Tamansky. The project was prepared by V.P. Stasov, who built the ensemble with an additional floor six years later.

In 1836, a large-scale restoration was carried out under the supervision of the architect F. F. Richter. However, the layout of buildings still did not meet the needs of the time and was considered outdated. So, Nicholas I told the Marquis Astolf de Custine, who was visiting the city: “We will show you the new works that we are producing in the Kremlin. I want to bring the architecture of these ancient buildings closer to the present. The palace is too small and has become uncomfortable for me.” In addition, the complex was considered a fire hazard, since the wooden beams of the Stasov superstructure were in contact with the chimneys.

 

Construction

After the victory in the Patriotic War of 1812 and the start of the large-scale project of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, the palace in the Kremlin again attracted public attention. The enlarged scale of the cathedral under construction nearby emphasized the need to build a new palace complex, symbolizing the renewal of the image of Moscow and the revival of its metropolitan functions. In this regard, the building was conceived as corresponding to the status of a coronation palace, and not a residence.

After the fire of 1837 in the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, Nicholas I instructed K. A. Ton to develop a project for a new Kremlin residence that would fully comply with the existing fire safety standards and have fireproof structures made of cast iron and iron. The old Elizabethan Palace, on the site of which it was planned to build a new ensemble, was dismantled along with the 17th century Stables Yard and other buildings in the southeastern part of the fortress. As a result of further reconstructions, by the middle of the 19th century, the panorama of the Kremlin, which opened from the Stone Bridge, had changed a lot.

The unrealized project of the Kolomna Palace, developed in 1836 by A. I. Stackenschneider, was taken as a model for the stylistic design of the new ensemble. The new complex in monumental forms was supposed to develop the composition of the Terem Palace and organically combine with the ancient Kremlin buildings. In addition to the Terem Palace, its churches and the Palace of Facets, the ensemble was supposed to include: the new building of the Grand Dukes' Apartments, the partially rebuilt Stables Building, the Poteshny Palace and the new building of the Armory. Initially, it was planned to build it simultaneously with the palace as a single complex, but in 1842 the construction was divided into two phases.

In the order of the emperor dated March 5, 1838, it is indicated that the construction work was decided "to start this spring with new parts of it and finish in four years both the main building and all the buildings belonging to it." Before the start of the construction, a stone was laid on the site of the planned basement with a commemorative inscription: "June 1838, 30 days." Under the plinth of the corner part of the complex, where they planned to place the imperial office, they placed a copper plate with the inscription:

"Laid down in the reign of Tsar Nicholas I, under the control of the Minister of the Imperial Court, General of Infantry Prince Pyotr Mikhailovich Volkonsky, Chief Chamberlain Baron Bode. The builder was the architect Konstantin Ton"

It was supposed to spend more than six million rubles on the construction, with the proviso that with the installation of iron rafters, the budget would be increased by a million. However, almost twelve million rubles were spent in total, and work continued until 1849.

A large team of Moscow architects took part in the design and construction of the palace. The management of the construction work was entrusted to the executive chamberlain L. Bode, who was formally subordinate to Prince A. M. Urusov. K. A. Ton was listed as the chief architect; P. A. Gerasimov and N. A. Shokhin helped him. Since 1843, the architect, replacing Ton in general matters, was appointed Fyodor Richter, who was also responsible for designing interiors and interior decoration, together with N. I. Chichagov, Vladimir Bakarev, P. A. Gerasimov, Nikolai Shokhin, J. A. Artari . The main artist was F. G. Solntsev. It is also known that the young I. S. Kaminsky took an internship at the construction of the palace.

The construction of the palace began immediately with the construction of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in 1839. During the laying of a foundation pit near the Cathedral of the Savior on Bor, the remains of a cemetery fenced with oak gouges and a garden that had previously been located near the walls of the temple were unearthed.

K. A. Ton designed large-span lightweight brick vaults and metal roof truss structures. The Kremlin Palace was the first building in the Russian Empire with a similar framework. In addition, along with traditional building materials, the architect used innovative for that time metal structures, cement and concrete. Thanks to this approach, a suspended ceiling was installed in the largest hall of the palace - St. George's. Four dormer windows were arranged in the palace dome, under which there was a striking clock. Their bells were distinguished by their purity of sound and were removed from the Trinity Tower. At the top of the dome, a gold-plated flagpole for the imperial standard was installed. Around the spire, a round observation deck with a railing was arranged. Under the leadership of Academician D. M. Perevoshchikov and Major I. I. Ilyin, the dome was combined with the roof with metal ties that served as lightning rods. They took more than 110 thousand pounds of iron. Under the leadership of engineer-general N.A. Amosov, a calorific heating system was installed in the palace. To do this, 56 massive air heaters were installed in the basement, supplying hot air through inter-wall thermal channels to the premises of all floors. Fireplaces served as an additional source of heat. In 1842, the Grand Kremlin Palace was merged with the Annunciation Cathedral by a passageway.

 

Interior design

Stone and cast iron were used for slab flooring of platforms and internal passages. In the rooms and halls of the Grand Kremlin Palace, the floors were covered with stone flooring and parquet. The first was used for the entrance hall, corridors of the first floor, servants' rooms, pantries and kitchens. The flooring was made of gray Revel stone, white Kolomna marble and Gzhel bream. In the rest of the rooms, parquet was laid “from different colored woods according to the patterns drawn up for that <…> oak with small decorations from colored woods <…> and ordinary oak”. The drawing of the typesetting parquets of the front halls was made according to the sketches of Fyodor Solntsev in 1843-1845.

At the time of the construction of the palace, against the background of the growth of national consciousness, military symbols became in demand in architecture. According to the idea of Nicholas I, the complex was to become a monument to the military achievements of the country and the Russian army. The ceremonial halls were named in honor of the patron saints of the military orders of the Russian Empire, which symbolized the inviolability of imperial power. Thus, the Georgievsky, Andreevsky, Aleksandrovsky, Vladimirsky and Ekaterininsky ceremonial halls were named in honor of the country's military awards, and their design was kept in the appropriate style.

Orders for furniture, fabrics and items of artistic decoration were carried out by well-known plants and factories in St. Petersburg and Moscow[48]. Fabrics for front and residential apartments were supplied by Grigory Sapozhnikov's factory. All canvases for upholstery of walls and draperies included gold and silver threads. However, the fabric with precious metal quickly wore out, and already in the second half of the 19th century, the factory received an order to renovate the interiors[49]. Subsequently, the production technology was lost, and during the last restoration, the fabric decoration was replaced with a similar one using colored threads instead of metal ones. According to art historians, this does not allow to fully reproduce the brilliance of fabrics.

Furniture sets were made in the Moscow workshops of Ernest Blechschmidt, Fyodor Dunker, Alexander Schmidt and other furniture makers. So, in 1846-1847, the Blechschmidt factory supplied about 20 sets of walnut, oak, and mahogany. They also made doors from valuable types of wood in the front apartments and living quarters of the Own Half. The chandeliers and lamps of the front rooms were made at the galvanoplastic and foundry factory owned by the husband of Princess Maria Romanova - Maximilian of Leuchtenberg, as well as at the enterprise of Felix Chopin.

 

Discovery and evaluation by contemporaries

The sovereign personally inspected the premises of the complex. The participants in the construction were rewarded and awarded the medal "For the construction of the Kremlin Palace":

"[Lev Bode] was granted, having bypassed the 81st senior (including two ministers) to chief chamberlain, to the president of the Moscow Palace Office instead of the elderly Prince A. M. Urusov, received a gold medal, showered with diamonds, with the inscription “thank you” for wearing on the Alexander ribbon, was awarded the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky and at the same time 50,000 rubles of silver; in addition, one of his sons was suddenly awarded both the rank and the order "

On the territory of the Kremlin, there was already a smaller royal residence - the Nikolaevsky Palace, so the new complex was called the Grand Kremlin Palace. Its consecration took place on Easter April 3, 1849 in the presence of Emperor Nicholas I and members of his family. The parade procession began with a prayer service for Metropolitan Filaret. Then, at the behest of the emperor, four palace grenadiers attached a board with the name of the Preobrazhensky Regiment to the wall of one of the halls. According to some reports, after that, Nicholas I led the soldiers to look at the new chambers. Despite the triumph, the ensemble was finally formed only in 1851, when the construction of the Armory Museum and the Apartment building adjoining it from the north, united by a passage with the main ensemble, was completed.

Most contemporaries reacted positively to the new complex and noted that the building harmoniously blended into the development due to stylistic conformity. So, they pointed out that “thanks to the Palace, the river acquired the features of a grandly decorated highway.” However, not everyone shared this view. Historian Alexander Turgenev lamented the "breaking of the monuments of the Russian ancient Kremlin". And the writer Fyodor Dostoevsky compared the new ensemble with a huge chest set on the side of Borovitsky Hill. The author of travel notes about Russia, Marquis Astolphe de Custine, believed that the construction of a new complex would "spoil the appearance of the ancient sacred fortress."

 

Pre-revolutionary era

The Grand Kremlin Palace was repeatedly reconstructed and rebuilt. So, even simultaneously with the construction and arrangement of the palace, work was underway to restore the ancient buildings that were part of the complex. But the work in the Terem Palace was carried out without the necessary historical research in accordance with the existing ideas about ancient Russian architecture. New furniture was made in the style of the 17th century from valuable types of wood, oak window frames were inserted. The paintings of the walls and vaults were made according to the sketches of Pyotr Gerasimov and Fyodor Solntsev by the artist T. A. Kiselev. They significantly changed the architectural and artistic appearance of the Terems, so later researchers pointed out that the restoration did not meet modern standards. Nevertheless, later fragmentary clearings showed that the original decoration of the premises was preserved under the painting.

Subsequent reconstructions were mainly related to redevelopment and ongoing engineering work, the work was divided into planned and "caused by extreme necessity". Every year, the Moscow Palace Administration primed and painted the roof, repaired the plaster and refurbished the outer walls of the palace. In order to preserve the ermine canopies of the thrones, they signed a long-term contract with the merchant Nikolai Borisovich Eggers, who "monitored the safety of the color" and "undertook to preserve the furs from damage by moths and fix all the bad places." Also annually carried out "extermination of harmful insects and animals." In 1895, work on re-laying the platforms and steps of the Red Porch with asphalting the vaults under it was recognized as unplanned in 1895, for which 1617 rubles were allocated.

During the coronation celebrations of 1883, electric lighting was used to illuminate the Grand Kremlin Palace. To do this, a temporary power plant was built on Raushskaya Embankment, the cables from which were stretched to the Kremlin. The installation of regular outdoor and indoor electric lighting was started only in April 1895. The palace electrical station was placed on the territory of the Alexander Garden, which made it possible to install hoisting machines in the palace a year later and to carry out an alarm system in some rooms.

In 1900-1902, the Grand Kremlin Palace was connected to the city sewerage system. To “avoid the breakthrough of sewer gases into the apartments of the palace”, the city network was separated from the complex using a water seal, and the water supply and drainage system was also rebuilt. The estimate for the implementation of the project was about 40 thousand rubles. During the Russo-Japanese War, a sewing workshop was set up in the premises of the Kremlin Palace, where things were sewn and packed before being sent to the front. In 1913, the ceremony of celebrating the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty was held in the Grand Kremlin Palace, which became the last national holiday of Tsarist Russia.

 

The seat of the Soviet government

During the shelling of the Kremlin in the fall of 1917, one of the shells hit the Verkhospassky Cathedral, which was part of the Grand Kremlin Palace. A corner of the building was destroyed, richly decorated with tiles that could not be restored. However, in general, the ensemble suffered less damage than other Kremlin buildings[64]. When a year later the Soviet government moved to Moscow, there was a division of premises on the territory of the fortress. On March 19, 1918, Anatoly Lunacharsky, People's Commissar for Education, telegraphed to the Council of People's Commissars: "According to the opinion of artists, scientists, as well as my employees and mine, I would ask you not to turn the Kremlin Palace into the seat of government." However, the front, representative and Private Imperial Apartments of the Grand Kremlin Palace were occupied by the residence of the government and the living quarters of its members and their families, as well as the staff. The director of the Armory reported that during this period "samovars were placed under the tapestries of the 18th century, and children's diapers were dried on Augsburg tables." However, the settlement was partially suspended, since the valuables of the Hermitage, the palaces of Petrograd, Livadia, and Belovezhskaya Pushcha, evacuated in 1914-1917, were stored within the walls of the complex, which required enhanced security. Most of the apartments were liquidated already in the 1930s, but the last residents of the ensemble were statesman Lazar Kaganovich and military leader Kliment Voroshilov, who moved out in 1957 and 1962, respectively.

Despite the settlers, already on January 26, 1919, the Grand Kremlin Palace was opened for tours. During the first month and a half the complex was visited by over five thousand people. Although the appearance of the premises was different from the historical one. So, in 1925, the mantle that covered the imperial thrones was handed over to the GUM commission department.

 

Reconstruction

By the beginning of the XVII Congress of the CPSU (b) in 1934, it was decided to rebuild the Grand Kremlin Palace for administrative needs. Having dismantled the Red Porch, a dining room for delegates was erected between the Faceted Chamber and the Cathedral of the Annunciation. Freeing up space for a guest annex, they demolished the Church of the Savior on Bor, founded in 1330, which served as the burial place of Moscow princesses before the construction of the Ascension Monastery.

On the facade of the building, in place of five double-headed eagles, the coat of arms of the USSR was placed, on the sides of which the letters of the USSR abbreviation were placed.

In 1933-1934, according to the project of I. A. Ivanov-Shitz, the Andreevsky and Alexander halls were combined into the Conference Hall of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. It is known that museum workers tried to save part of the design and took out the panel of the Andreevsky Hall, painted in oil on canvas.

An additional room for the presidium was arranged, the shape of the windows overlooking the Moscow River was changed, the brick vaults and columns supporting them were dismantled, as well as the wall between the Andreevsky and Alexander halls, after which cracks formed on the facade. To prevent collapse, a massive balcony was built up to the middle of the hall. Also, smaller balconies were built in the side wall of the hall.

At the top, the room was covered with a concrete coffered cylindrical vault, and the parquet of the hall and the balcony was laid over the steel beams. The floor in the hall had a slight slope from the presidium - for this reason, steps were installed at the entrances to the hall from the side of the malachite foyer and St. George's Hall. In 1939, a marble statue of V. I. Lenin by S. D. Merkulov was installed in the hall at the former site of the imperial thrones.

Also, in the hall - on the railing of the main balcony, as well as on the beam above the presidium and the podium - there was a clock with a dial with Arabic numerals. Above the clock above the podium and the presidium was the coat of arms of the USSR. The meeting room accommodated about 3,000 seats in the main room and 2,500 in the stalls and on the guest balcony. The room was furnished with a podium (the podium provided for the possibility of replacing wooden coats of arms - this can be seen in photographs and videos of successive Soviet and Russian coats of arms), desks and chairs made of walnut, furniture was upholstered in green leatherette. The total area of the audience exceeded 1600 square meters. meters. Nevertheless, the rectangular room turned out to be unsuitable for parliamentary work, since the far seats were at a great distance from the rostrum. For the normal operation of the congresses, radio equipment, additional lighting and ventilation were arranged. A complete refurbishment was carried out only in 1968. However, six years earlier, the congresses of the CPSU were moved to the Palace of Congresses, and since 1970, the sessions of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR were also moved there. In 1990, the First Congress of People's Deputies of the RSFSR was held in the Conference Hall.

Other premises of the Grand Kremlin Palace were used for official events. So, until 1970, presentation of credentials by foreign ambassadors took place in the Catherine's Hall. Orders and other government awards were presented to outstanding figures of science and culture in the halls of the Front and Own Half. The palace has repeatedly hosted international congresses, congresses of the union of writers, artists, composers, architects and film industry figures.

 

Palace during the Great Patriotic War

The Kremlin ensemble stood out against the backdrop of urban development due to geographical and architectural features. The most characteristic buildings located on the territory of the fortress were cathedrals with gilded domes and the Grand Kremlin Palace, which were clearly visible from the air. In this regard, after the start of the Great Patriotic War, it was decided to mask the roof of the palace with paint. The security of the fortress was strengthened, and on June 26, 1941, they began to disguise it, they also conducted blackout exercises. Despite enhanced security measures, the complex was damaged during the bombing of Moscow: a 100-kilogram shell exploded at one of the entrances, the explosion of which knocked out the glass of the Catherine Hall and the Own Half, the front door was broken and the electric cable was damaged. During the first bombing of the Kremlin on July 22, 1941, a high-explosive bomb filled with ammonal pierced the roof and vaults of St. George's Hall. The quarter-ton projectile did not explode and fell apart on contact with the floor. As a result, about four square meters of parquet were destroyed and the ceiling between the fourth and fifth chandeliers of the hall was damaged, the arch of the first floor under the place of the fall was covered with cracks.

Also, kilogram incendiary-thermite bombs were repeatedly dropped on the territory of the complex, they were neutralized by the personnel of the fortress garrison. One of the failed thermite shells was found in the attic of the palace.

In honor of the participants in the Victory Parade on June 25, 1945, a solemn reception was given within the walls of the Grand Kremlin Palace, to which almost three thousand guests were invited, more than two thousand of them were military personnel. They were placed in the St. George and Vladimir halls, the Faceted Chamber, the Holy Entrance Hall, in the dining room between the Faceted Chamber and the Annunciation Cathedral, as well as in the lower and upper dining rooms. It is with this solemn reception that I. V. Stalin's toast “For the Russian people!” Is connected. In 1955, the film "Voices of Spring" was filmed in the palace.

Restoration of the historical appearance
In 1968, on the basis of conducted soundings, the original colors of the facades of the three upper floors of the Terems were restored. The work was supervised by the architect I.P. Ruben. During this period, the plaster and paint layers of the murals were strengthened, individual details were gilded, lost inlays, wall and furniture upholstery were restored. Within a few months, the marble walls of the main staircase were restored, steps and landings were repaired.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, when the Kremlin became the residence of the President of the Russian Federation, by decision of Boris Yeltsin in 1994-1999, the palace underwent a global reconstruction and restoration. According to the surviving drawings, the historical Andreevsky and Alexander Halls were restored. The royal place with the thrones of Nicholas II, Alexandra Feodorovna and Maria Feodorovna has also been recreated. In the interval between the spring of 1997 and 1998, the annexed in 1933-1934 was demolished. room for the presidium (on the left side of the palace from the side of the main facade; this can be seen when comparing photographs of the Grand Kremlin Palace in Soviet times and photographs after 1998). Historical bas-reliefs on the facade of the Grand Kremlin Palace were restored, in particular, in 1998 (presumably after June), metal double-headed eagles and coats of arms of the Kingdoms were installed. According to some reports, the total cost of reconstruction reached 350 million US dollars.

In 2008, another restoration was carried out in the premises of the first floor.

 

Current state

The Grand Kremlin Palace is the current residence of the President of Russia, where official events are held. So, the inauguration of the President of Russia is taking place in the Andreevsky Hall.

Excursions are held in their free time from official events at the request of organizations sent to the name of the head of the service of the commandant of the Moscow Kremlin. Visitors can see the Palace of Facets, the premises of the Terem Palace, the Own Half of Their Imperial Majesties, as well as the ceremonial order halls, with the exception of the Catherine's Hall. Also, the tour route does not include the emperor's office and the Golden Tsaritsyna Chamber.

 

Structure and architecture

Compositional features

The Grand Kremlin Palace is 125 meters long and 47 meters high. The total area of the complex exceeds 25 thousand square meters. In plan, the Grand Kremlin Palace, made in the Russian-Byzantine style, is presented in the form of a square with a small court-doneur, in the center of which was the Church of the Savior on Bor, demolished in the 1930s. The main facade of the complex faces the Kremlin embankment, the Blagoveshchensky entrance of the palace overlooks the Cathedral Square.

The architect Konstantin Ton to some extent repeated the composition of the previous palace complex, consisting of buildings of different times. Art historians believe that it was in accordance with the peculiarities of ancient Russian architecture that the complex received asymmetric forms. So, the side buildings are lower than the main volume, and the chambers of the Grand Dukes, which initially included the Apartments of Their Majesties and the Children's Half, were placed separately and united with the main building by an arched passage. On the second floor of the corridor, a winter garden was laid out, where orange trees were placed to decorate the ceremonial halls on holidays, as well as plants from the Neskuchny Garden. Presumably, the arcade of the first floor was an allegory for the composition of the palace of Ivan III, and the winter garden corresponded to the ancient Kremlin parks. The facades of the complex corresponded to the decor of the Terem Palace, in particular, the architect repeated the frame of the windows in greatly enlarged sizes. They are made in the form of arches with narrow piers and give the building a resemblance to a closed gallery. The second double-height tier is divided by pilasters and richly decorated with carved white-stone architraves in the Russian-Byzantine style with double arches and weights in the middle, which is typical of Russian architecture of the 17th century. Until 1917, the facade of the palace was decorated with five white-stone bas-reliefs in the form of double-headed eagles, above which were the coats of arms of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan, Astrakhan, Poland and Taurida. After the October Revolution, they were replaced with the coat of arms of the USSR. In 1992, the Soviet coat of arms was dismantled, and after the restoration of 1994-1998 in 1997-1998, double-headed eagles appeared, repeating the historical appearance, but made of metal and painted to look like stucco.

 

Layout

The palace is distinguished by the rigid geometrism of the plan, characteristic of late classicism. But the main entrance is not in the center of the main facade under the podium with coats of arms, but in the eastern part of the palace, which was uncharacteristic for the architecture of that period. The entrance has a modest design and is highlighted from the outside by a pair of lamp-balls hanging on chains, the shape of the doors corresponds to the window openings. The location of the entrance is due to the need to place a straight front staircase of 66 steps, the length of which would not allow the installation of the structure in the center of the complex. It is made of Revel stone, the walls of the room are finished with artificial marble, and the columns are finished with natural Serdobol marble. The staircase leads to the second floor to the entrance hall, from where the enfilade of double-height ceremonial halls and ceremonial chambers begins. Next to the main entrance on the ground floor is a marble vestibule with polished granite columns, as well as the Imperial Family's own half.

There are false windows on the facade of the building - basically these “windows” are located on the western wall of the palace near the wall of the Andreevsky Hall. This can be seen when looking at a photo of the outside of the palace and comparing it with the layout of the palace.

 

The interiors of the state rooms

Anteroom

A small square room in the entrance hall is connected with the main staircase and St. George's Hall. The room has a modest decor, but its ceiling is richly decorated with stucco ornaments. The entrance hall is decorated with a fireplace, which is lined with gray-green jasper, processed at the Kolyvan grinding factory. Also in the room are a clock with the figure of Apollo on a chariot and two bronze chandeliers in the Empire style.

At different times, various paintings were placed on the wall of the entrance hall, each of which, according to researchers, corresponded to the style of its time. Initially, the center of the composition was the canvas of the French battle painter Adolphe Yvon, depicting the battle on the Kulikovo field. It was replaced by a painting by Ilya Repin "Reception of Volost Elders by Emperor Alexander III in the courtyard of the Petrovsky Court in Moscow." In 1924, a painting by Isaac Brodsky "The Grand Opening of the Second Congress of the Comintern in the Uritsky Palace in Leningrad" was placed in the entrance hall. Soon the image was removed, as some of the characters were declared enemies of the people. In the 1990s, Boris Ioganson’s similar painting “Speech by V. I. Lenin at the Third Congress of the Komsomol” was replaced with a seven-meter work by Sergei Prisekin “Whoever comes to us with a sword will die by the sword”, dedicated to the victory of Alexander Nevsky on Lake Peipus.

 

St George's Hall

St. George's Hall is the first and largest of the main rooms of the palace. It got its name in honor of the Order of St. George the Victorious, approved by Catherine II in 1769 and which was the highest military award of the Russian Empire. The walls of the room are decorated with gold embossed stars and order garters with the motto "For Service and Courage". The room is covered with a semi-cylindrical coffered ceiling resting on eighteen pylons. In the upper part they are decorated with statues symbolizing the country's military victories. By order of the emperor, marble plaques were installed in the room with a list of regiments, crews and batteries that received St. George's banners. In addition, the names of all the knights of the order are engraved on the walls.

Initially, civil officials and representatives of the Moscow nobility gathered in the St. George's Hall during ceremonial events. During the reception on the occasion of the 1945 Victory Parade, invited military personnel gathered in the St. George Hall. A microphone was installed in the room to broadcast congratulations and performances by the concert artists to all the halls involved in the celebration. In the future, the premises were used for the presentation of military awards, orders and prizes to figures of science and culture, as well as meetings of party representatives with citizens.

 

Alexander Hall

Initially, on the site of the Alexander Hall, there was the Embankment, or the Ambassador's Chamber, which existed from the reign of Ivan III until the construction of the old palace complex under Elizabeth Petrovna. After the construction of the Grand Kremlin Palace, the Alexander Hall was named after the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky, established by Catherine I in 1725. The room is located in the central part of the second floor along the southern facade of the complex and is connected to St. George's by massive silver-plated doors with gold ornaments depicting sashes and stars.

The length of the rectangular room reaches 31 meters, width and height - 20 meters. The overall color scheme corresponds to the order: the walls were lined with pink artificial marble, the furniture was upholstered in velvet in the color of a red sash with images of stars. Also, the hall is decorated with coats of arms of the provinces and regions of the Russian Empire, wall mirrors, four marble fireplaces and candelabra, made at the factories of the Duke of Leuchtenberg. From above, it is covered with an elliptical dome on four pylons with images of the order's emblems, stars and the monogram of St. Alexander. The parquet was laid out of thirty types of trees, the room was illuminated by a chandelier with 4,500 candles.

Initially, six paintings by the artist Fyodor Moller were placed in the Alexander Hall, depicting moments from the life of Alexander Nevsky: his entry into the liberated Pskov, the battle with the Swedes in 1240, his marriage to the Polotsk princess, his stay in the Golden Horde, as well as the mythical plot dedicated to the Battle of the Ice, refusal to accept Catholicism.

According to the historian Sergei Bartenev, during the solemn ceremonies in the Alexander Hall, "honorary city ladies" gathered. For them, there were about fifty wooden gilded chairs upholstered in velvet to match the color of the ribbon. Also during this period, there was a custom before the festivities to make four furniture slides upholstered in crimson velvet, ancient gold utensils from the storerooms of the Armory. In the 1930s, the premises were reconstructed and became part of the Conference Hall. The interiors were restored in 1994-1999 and later the premises were used for meetings of the State Council.

 

Vladimir Hall

After the construction of the Grand Kremlin Palace, the territory of the former Bed Porch was occupied by the Vladimir Hall, which was named after the Order of St. Vladimir, established by Catherine II in 1782. The room connects the multi-temporal buildings of the complex: the Faceted and Golden Tsaritsyna Chambers, the Terem Palace and St. George's Hall. Light enters the room only through a skylight in the center of the hipped dome, from which hangs a multi-tiered chandelier made at the St. Petersburg factory by Felix Chopin. Initially, the three-ton structure was placed in the entrance hall, for which it turned out to be too large, and later it was transferred to the Vladimir Hall. Before that, the sixteen-sided dome was tested for strength, as it was built from hollow bricks to lighten the weight. The room also has four dark bronze floor lamps by Andrey Schreiber.

The spatial composition of the room corresponds to the baptistery and is designed in the form of a rotunda with a bypass gallery and a balustrade at the level of the second floor. Initially, the hall was in plan a square with sides of sixteen meters, but niches arranged at the corners give it a resemblance to an octahedron. The decoration of the room corresponds to the symbols of the order and is decided in the range of white, pink and pale green colors. The walls and pilasters are faced with pink and white marble, the star-shaped parquet is laid out from more than twenty species of trees according to the drawings of Fyodor Solntsev by the craftsmen of the Muller factory. The dome of the room is decorated with stucco molding depicting the Order of St. Vladimir. The relief was made by Russian craftsmen, some Dylev brothers.

After 1918, the Vladimir Hall was used to sign treaties between the USSR and foreign states.

 

Andrew's Hall

By personal order of Nicholas I, during the construction of the palace, the throne room was dedicated to the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called, the symbols of which adorn the walls, doors and vaults. Only the emperor could sit in the room, so from the furniture there was only a throne. During the ceremonial events, military officials gathered in the Andreevsky Hall.

In 1932, the premises were reconstructed and included in the Assembly Hall. During the reconstruction of 1994-1999, the hall was restored to its former forms, recreating the lost elements of decor according to the surviving sketches and photographs.

 

Cavalier Guard Hall

Andreevsky Hall is connected to the Cavalry Guard Hall, where during the emperor's stay in the palace there was an honorary military guard. Since the personal guard of the sovereign traditionally consisted of Circassians, the furniture of the room was made of Caucasian plane trees. Its walls were lined with white artificial marble, a fireplace made of Carrara marble with a bronze clock was placed at the windows. In the 1930s, the building was rebuilt to accommodate NKVD officers during political congresses, but the fireplace retained its original appearance.

 

Catherine's Hall

The Catherine Hall served as a throne room for the Russian empresses and was named after the Order of St. Catherine, established in 1714. On the sides of the entrance are pilasters on massive pillars, decorated with malachite mosaic patterns. The walls are decorated with order reliefs made in a filigree way and decorated with rhinestones. The parquet was made according to the sketches of Fyodor Solntsev.

Initially, there was no furniture in the Catherine's throne room; during solemn ceremonies, cavalry and court ladies gathered here. In the future, the premises were used for negotiations at the highest level.

 

Interiors of other rooms

First floor

In addition to office space, on the ground floor of the Grand Kremlin Palace there was an enfilade of personal imperial chambers. Their decor was developed by architects F. F. Richter, N. I. Chichagov and V. A. Bakarev, who prepared sketches not only for architectural decoration, but also for candelabra, fireplaces, stair bars, furniture and doors. In total, the premises of the Own Half include more than four hundred interior items and decorative and applied arts, some of which were made to order in the workshops of Heinrich Gambs and André-Charles Boulle. According to the testimony of the French writer Theophile Gautier, who examined the palace in the 19th century, in one of the far rooms of the complex there was even a full-length statue of Napoleon, forgotten by the French army during an urgent retreat in 1812.

The private half is located to the left of the main staircase and overlooks the southern facade. It includes two zones: the enfilade and the main part of the furnished rooms. The enfilade consists of seven rooms, each of which is designed in its own style. On the right side of the corridor were the Great Buffet and three duty rooms for court servants.

The imperial dining room was used for tea parties and dinners of the imperial family. To do this, four black lacquered tables and chairs of the 18th century, upholstered in cherry leather, were placed in the room. The walls of the room are lined with white and yellow artificial marble, antique-style vases and marble sculptures are placed in niches.

The living room of the Empress is made in the Rococo style in pastel colors, it was used for receiving a narrow circle of guests, conversations and games. Furniture, ceiling lamps, mirror frames, wall panels are richly decorated with gilding. The living room set included sofas and chairs on wheels for easy movement of furniture. In the room there is a porcelain chandelier with stucco flowers, created at the St. Petersburg Imperial Porcelain Factory especially for the Grand Kremlin Palace.

The personal office of the Empress was intended for reading and relaxation and was designed in dark crimson tones. At the request of Alexandra Feodorovna, furniture and doors were made of precious woods in the style of the French furniture maker Andre Boulle and decorated with plates of tortoise shell, mother-of-pearl and copper. The objects are made on spikes without nails and glue by unknown craftsmen.

The boudoir of the Empress is designed in silver-pink tones. The walnut wood furniture and the walls are upholstered in soft silk fabrics. The set for the hall was made by furniture maker Peter Gambs. The room is decorated with a fireplace, which was lined with green malachite plates made at the Peterhof Lapidary Factory, as well as a bronze clock marking the days and phases of the moon.

The imperial bedchamber is designed in blue-mother-of-pearl tones and decorated with two columns made of solid pieces of marble with gilded capitals. The Carrara marble fireplace is decorated with a clock called "Night", made in the form of a ball with applied numbers, stars and two bronze figurines of cupids on the sides. The mechanism is mounted on a gilded stand with cast gilded female figures.

The enfilade of the Own Half is completed by the Emperor's Study, located in the southwestern part of the palace and connected with three administrative premises - the Duty, Reception and Courier Rooms. The windows of the study overlook the Cathedral of Christ the Savior and the Moscow River, therefore, for soundproofing, the walls were trimmed with ash from the inside. The room has a white Carrara marble fireplace. In the 19th century, the walls of the office were decorated with paintings dedicated to the war of 1812, and a bronze chandelier hung from the ceiling. At the request of Nicholas II, the paintings were removed, and the chandelier was replaced with a simple multi-lamp lamp.

 

Second floor

The researchers note that the premises of the palace are distinguished by solemnity and the main value is represented by objects of decorative and applied art - lighting fixtures, furniture. The complex has repeatedly carried out restructuring associated with redevelopment and reconstruction of engineering systems. After the opening of the Grand Kremlin Palace to the public in 1919, the imperial chambers received a museum and exhibition character, they are rarely used during ceremonial events.

The Catherine's Hall is connected to the main Green Drawing Room, which was intended for meetings of the Empress with guests of honor. The walls of the semicircular hall are upholstered with green and gold fabric, created according to the drawings of the artist Artari Angiolo. The ceiling is painted with floral ornaments. The room is furnished with inlaid furniture and illuminated by bronze crystal chandeliers, chandeliers and floor lamps. Nearby are the boudoir, study and bedroom of the Empress, furnished with upholstered furniture in the spirit of French palaces of the Louis XV era. Also in this part is the Red Living Room, decorated in the Renaissance style. The premises are used for meetings of the President of Russia with statesmen and public figures.

The study of the Empress and the boudoir are united by a small Kamerungfer room, where the ladies-in-waiting were on duty. Its walnut-panelled walls and vaults are decorated with multicolored plywood and mother-of-pearl mosaics. Decorative painting by Giuseppe Artari on a scarlet background.

The maid of honor (White) corridor is located parallel to the Terem Palace and the front suite of the second floor of the Grand Kremlin Palace. It leads from the Holy Vestibule and the Vladimir Hall, bypassing the rest of the premises, to the Cavalier Guard Hall, located in the western part of the building. In 1817, ladies-in-waiting were briefly placed in the small rooms of the corridor, after which the room got its name.

Completing the front half is the Walnut Dressing Room, its walls and ceiling clad in walnut paneling, fitted and assembled seamlessly by craftsman Karl Hertz.